Bottle holder



Feb. 2, 1965 -r. c. SWlNYAR 3,168,272

BOTTLE HOLDER Filed Jan. 24, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l Theodore L. Swinyar 1N VEN TOR.

BY m5 Feb. 2, 1965 1-. c. SWINYAR 3,163,272

BOTTLE HOLDER Filed Jan. 24, 1963 2 SheetsSheet 2 Fig. 7

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Theodore C. Swinyar I N VEN TOR.

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Uited States Patent Ofifice 3,16,272 Patented Feb. 2, 1965 3,168,272 BGTTLE HGLDER Theodore C. Swinyar, Collegedale Medical Center, Collegedale, Tenn. Filed Jan. 24, 1963, Ser. No. 253,680 1t) Claims. (Cl. 248139) The present invention is generally concerned with bottle holders, and more particularly to a bottle holder for orientating a bottle in an angular inverted position so as to allow for the complete draining of the contents therefrom.

One of the problems involved in the dispensing of drugs in liquid form from containers such as bottles is the fact that, because of the viscosity of the liquid, a large amount of the drug, in some instancescne-half ounce or more, remains adhered to the sides of the bottle. Inasmuch as these drugs are generally quite expensive, this loss of one half ounce or more could be an expensive proposition. It has been the habit of those dealing with such drugs to, so as to salvage all of the contents of a bottle, either spend long periods of time holding the bottle in an inverted position in order to allow the contents to drain therefrom, or dilute the contents with, for example, water so as to allow the contents to flow more easily. However, as can be appreciated, neither one of these solutions to the problem is very satisfactory.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a device wherein a liquid drug container can be properly and safely mounted in an inverted position so as to allow for the draining of the contents therein without the necessity of the contents being diluted and without the necessity of anyone remaining in attendance. One need merely position the container between the spring-biased gripping jaws and subsequently invert the jaws and gripped container, a suitable receiving container of course being provided beneath the outlet of the inverted container. This receiving container can, if so desired, be a partially empty container having the same liquid drug therein.

Another significant object of the present invention is to provide a device for allowing the gravity evacuation of a bottle wherein the bottle can be simply and quickly gripped and positioned.

Likewise, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bottle holder which is capable of accommodating a wide range of different size bottles.

Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide a device which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use while at the same time being extremely effective in the solution of a problem for which no satisfactory solution had heretofore been found.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the bottle holding device comprising the present invention, one bottle being held therein;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the device;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the device;

FIGURE 4 is a view taken substantially on a plane passing along line 44 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on a plane passing along line 55 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the gripping jaws; and

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the base with the supporting stand extending upwardly therefrom.-

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally designates the bottle holder comprising the present invention. This bottle holder 10 consists basically of a base or supporting platform 12, a supporting standard 14, and two pairs of pivotally mounted gripping jaws 16.

The base 12 is preferably rectangular in shape and is provided with flat upper and lower surfaces so as to both form a stable support for the device 10 and to provide a platform for the positioning of a receiving container or bottle 18 thereon.

The supporting standard 14 consists of a vertical shaft 2%) having the lower end 22 thereof threadedly engaged within an internally threaded aperture 24 provided through the base 12 adjacent the rear edge thereof. The support standard also includes a horizontal rod 26 rigidly affixed to the upper end of the shaft 20 and extending equidistant on opposite sides thereof, the pairs of jaws 16 being rotatably mounted on this rod 26 as shall be pointed out presently. Finally, the support standard 14 includes a stop bar 28 rigidly aflixed to the vertical shaft 20 and extending parallel to the horizontal rod 26, this stop bar 28 being substantially shorter than the rod 26 and functioning so as to provide a stop for limiting the swinging of the jaws 16 between a first position wherein the held container or bottle 30 is orientated with the dispensing neck 32 positioned upwardly at an angle and a second position wherein the bottle 30 is inverted so as to direct the neck 32 downwardly at an angle substantially as illustrated in the drawings, it being the intention of the present invention that this second position be such so as to insure a complete draining of the contents from the bottle 30 without any danger of an air lock forming within the neck such as might occur were the bottle inverted and positioned exactly vertical.

Each jaw 34 of each pair of jaws 16' consists of a rectangular side plate 36, a rectangular back plate 38 positioned forward of the rear edge 46 of the side plate 36, a foam rubber or plastic gripping surface 42 provided between the back plate 38 and the front edge of the side plate 36, and a polygonal aperture 44 extending transversely through the side plate 36 between the back plate 38 and the rear edge 40. This aperture 44 is preferably rectangular, as illustrated, however can, within the scope of the present invention, have any reasonable number of angularly related sides.

The horizontal rod 26 is provided, on each side of the shaft Zli, with an elongated sleeve 46, this sleeve 46 being polygonal in cross section and having the same number of sides as the aperture 44 and being of a size so as to slidably extend through the aperture 44. These sleeves 46 are rotatably mounted on the rod 26 and extend from the vertical shaft 20 to a point just short of the threaded outer ends 48 of the rod 26.

The jaws 34 of each pair of jaws 16 are positioned on the sleeves 46 with the back plates 38 and gripping faces 42 facing each other, the inner jaw 34 of each pair being slidably positioned against the vertical shaft 20 and the outer jaw 34- being biased against the inner jaw by a biasing compression spring 50 orientated so as to bear, at one end, against the outer face of the outer jaw 34, and at the other end against a stop plate or nut 52 threaded on the adjoining threaded end 48 of the rod 26. It is contemplated that this biasing spring 50, one being used in conjunction with each pair of jaws 16, be of suflicient strength so as to positively retain a bottle 30 between the gripping faces 42 in the manner illustrated in the drawings.

The use of the rectangular or polygonal sleeves 46 is considered of significance as a means for insuring the proper orientation of the jaws 34 of each pair of jaws 16 relative to each other. However, the present invention also contemplates the use of other means for maintaining the jaws against any displacement relative to each other, for example, the jaws 34 can be slidably and rotatably mounted directly on the rod 26 with two additional rodsextending between the jaws 34 spaced from and parallel to the rod 26, one end of these additional rods being fixed to the innermost jaw 34 and the outer jaw 34 being slidable thereon toward and away from the innermost jaw 34.

Also, if so desired, the vertical shaft v can be in the form of telescoping tubes including setscrews for the fixing of one tube to the other, thus providing for the accommodation of a wider range of different height bottles.

In using the device 10, the outermost jaw 34 is pulled away from the inner jaw 34 by compressing the spring 50, the bottle 36 is inserted between the jaws and the outer jaw 34 released so as to enable the gripping of the bottle by the jaws 34. The pair of jaws is then rotated so as to invert the bottle with this rotation being limited by the rear edge 40 of the jaws 34 engaging against the stop bar 28. Particular attention is directed to FIGURE 2 wherein it will be noted that, the bottle 30 is inverted to such a degree soas to insure a com plete draining thereof including the funnel-like upper portion 52 provided directly behind the neck 32, while at the same time not completley inverting the bottle 39 inasmuch as such a completely vertical positioning of the bottle 30 would cause a flowing of the liquid completely around the narrow periphery thereof thus tending to produce an air lock at the discharge neck 32.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated from the foregoing description that the present invention enables the econornical salvaging'of the total contents of liquid-containing bottles by merely inserting a bottle between the jaws and subsequently inverting the jaws andheld bottle so as to allow for the flow of liquid into a receiving bottle, the use of this device requiring only a bare minimum of time and effort on the part of the user.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A bottle holder consisting of a vertical support shaft, a horizontal support rod secured to the upper end of theshaft, bottle gripping means rotatably mounted on said support rod, and a horizontal stopbar secured to said shaft below the rod and selectively engaged by the gripping means for limiting the rotation of the gripping means between a first position wherein a bottle held by right and a second position wherein a bottle held by the grippingrneans will be orientated substantially inverted. 2. The device of claim 1 wherein said bottle gripping the gripping means will be orientated substantially up- 7 means consists of a pair of independent jaws, and means I resiliently biasing said jaws toward each other for gripping various size bottles therebetween.

3. T he device of claim 2 wherein each'jaw consists of a erally from said side plate at a point spaced inwardly of the rear edge thereof, and a transverse aperture through the side plate rearward of said back plate, said jaws being orientated with their back plates extending toward each other and forming a base for the support of a bottle gripped by the two side plates, said jaws being mounted by extending the support rod through the transverse aperture in each side plate.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the innermost jaw is in sliding abutment with the support shaft, a stop member is removably provided on the outer end of the support ms, and said biasing means is a spring engaged between the stop member and the outer jaw.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said apertures are polygonal in shape, and said support rod is provided with an elongated sleeve, having a corresponding polygonal cross section, rotatably mounted thereon, this sleeve being slidably received within the apertures whereby rotation of one jaw relative to the other is prevented.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein said support rod extends laterally in two directions from said support shaft and has a second pair of gripping jaws mounted thereon.

7.,The device of claim 5 wherein the second position of the gripping means is such so as to position a held bottle at an angle to the vertical to provide for a complete draining of the contents without danger of an air lock forming in the neck f the bottle.

8. A bottle emptying aid consisting of a vertical support shaft, 2. horizontal support rod fixed to the upper end of the shaft and projecting laterally therefrom, a first flat bottle gripping side plate rotatably mounted on said rod in sliding abutment with the vertical shaft, a second fiat bottle gripping side plate rotatably and slidably mounted on said rod, each side plate having a back plate thereon, said back plates projecting inwardly toward each other forward of the rod, said back plates forming a bottle supporting base between the side plates, means resiliently biasing said second side plate toward saidfirst side plate, means for preventing relative rotation between the side plates on the support rod, and means limiting simultaneous rotation of the side plates on the rod.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein said last mentioned means consists of a horizontal stop fixed to the support shaft below the support rod, said stop forming an abutment for limiting rotation of the side plates by engagement of the first side plate therewith, sat-d2 engagement of the plate with the stop occurring in two rota-' References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 682,576 9/01 Smith 248-441 1,203,262 10/16 Kinsella 24S14l 1,220,266 3/17 Ott 248-103 1,688,765 10/28 Veras 248103 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Examiner. 

8. A BOTTLE EMPTYING AID CONSISTING OF A VERTICAL SUPPORT SHAFT, A HORIZONTAL SUPPORT ROD FIXED TO THE UPPER END OF THE SHAFT AND PROJECTING LATERALLY THEREFROM, A FIRST FLAT BOTTLE GRIPPING SIDE PLATE ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID ROD IN SLIDING ABUTMENT WITH THE VERTICAL SHAFT, A SECOND FLAT BOTTLE GRIPPING SIDE PLATE ROTATABLY AND SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID ROD, EACH SIDE PLATE HAVING A BACK PLATE THEREON, SAID BACK PLATES PROJECTING INWARDLY TOWARD EACH OTHER FORWARD OF THE ROD, SAID BACK PLATES FORMING A BOTTLE SUPPORTING BASE BETWEEN THE SIDE PLATES, MEANS RESILIENTLY BIASING SAID SECOND SIDE PLATE TOWARD SAID FIRST SIDE PLATE, MEANS FOR PREVENTING RELATIVE ROTATION BETWEEN THE SIDE PLATES ON THE SUPPORT ROD, AND MEANS LIMITING SIMULTANEOUS ROTATION OF THE SIDE PLATES ON THE ROD. 